Alex Bowman’s move to the #48 in 2021 clears the way for Hendrick Motorsports to add Kyle Larson next season. Kyle Larson has been long rumored to join HMS for the 2021 season.

While Larson hasn’t “officially” signed with the team the biggest question other than “will Chevy sign off on this deal” is “what number will Larson have?”

What Number Does Larson Get?

Currently, the open seat at HMS is the #88. That number joined the HMS stable when Dale Jr. joined the team, it is not an original Hendrick number. Will it remain part of the team going into 2021 or will the number changed? More than likely not. Hendrick has a couple of “traditional” numbers for the team, potentially Larson has a number he wants to use. On top of that, the #88 does have some underlying issues that certainly wouldn’t reflect well considering what Larson was suspended for.

#5 – NASCAR fans haven’t seen the #5 since the 2017 season when it was renumbered to the #24 after Chase Elliott renumbered the #24 to the #9. Keeping up? The #5 car was the original HMS car all the way back in 1984, there’s a strong case to be made for bringing it back.

#25 – Ever since Tim Richmond died the #25 car has been a mixed bag of results for HMS. The original #25 was dropped at the end of the 2007 season. It was then renumbered to the #88 for the 2008 season. It served as a part-time car in 2008/2009 for Brad Keselowski. Chase Elliott made his first Cup start in 2015 with that number. The #25 hasn’t been a consistent contender since Tim Richmond. Will Kyle Larson be able to return that number to its original glory? Rick Hendrick would sure love to see it.

#57 – Then there is the #57, potentially the least sexy number outside of #63. However, it is Kyle Larson’s dirt track number. The same number that has stormed across the country this summer collecting trophy after trophy. On top of that HMS used the number in 2005 & 2006 in the Busch Series.

If you’re letting Larson come back into the sport, let him bring his own number. It’s his brand on the line, allowing him to use his number potentially allows HMS to distance themselves if something happens.

The post What Number Will Kyle Larson Have At Hendrick Motorsports In 2021? appeared first on Apex Off.

Fans clamored for the two sides to link up. Larson wheeling the #14 SHR Mustang on Sundays and ripping the cushion in a TSR sprint every chance he gets. What’s not to like about that setup?

Ultimately that didn’t happen as Larson signed with Hendrick Motorsports and now we know why.

Ford Blocked SHR From Signing Larson

Tony Stewart responded to a fan with absolutely atrocious grammar that he did try to hire Kyle Larson. Stewart apparently tried for the last four years to hire Larson but ultimately Ford blocked it. Obviously, the Ford block came this season because of his racial slur usage. The other three years were likely because Larson was under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Chevrolet signed off on Hendrick Motorsports signing Larson. Part of that deal is Larson will not have a personal services contract with Chevrolet. Meaning no free cars, Larson won’t be used in advertisements, and we won’t see Larson sporting a Chevy polo/hat/etc.

Ford could have done that same deal. Ford should have done that same deal. SHR with Harvick and Larson is a formidable duo. Not to mention SHR needs a replacement for Harvick because Aric Almirola isn’t it. Chase Briscoe could be that guy, but Larson could easily have stepped into that role. Not to mention a potential 2022 lineup with Harvick, Larson, Briscoe, and Custer is a god damn monster.

Instead, in typical Ford fashion, they let ANOTHER driver get away. It’s a tradition unlike any other, Ford having a blue-chip prospect or free agent in the grasps and watching Chevy sign them instead.

Stewart doesn’t seem happy about the ordeal. The number of zeroes on his deal with Ford likely makes him feel better about it.

The post Tony Stewart Says Ford Blocked Him From Hiring Kyle Larson appeared first on Apex Off.

It was lucky number 13 for Kyle Larson Saturday night as he finally won his first Golden Driller after handing Christopher Bell his third win in a row last year. Larson left Tulsa last year dejected, he dominated the 2019 version of the Chili Bowl only to bobble on the last lap in turn 1 and allow Bell to get by to win after leading only one lap.

2020 had a different ending for Larson. This year ended with a full track burnout/slide job, confetti, a trophy, and his wife shotgunning beers per Larson family tradition in Victory Lane.

How It Happened

Christopher Bell could not have gotten a better start when the green flag waved to start the 34th Chili Bowl. The three-time defending champ stormed to the lead on the outside of pole-sitter Tanner Thorson and appeared set to check out on the field. Larson mired behind Thorson in third could only watch Bell slowly stretch his lead.

Cautions on lap 5 and 21 allowed Larson to keep Bell within striking distance as the two ex-Keith Kunz Motorsports drivers asserted themselves as the drivers to beat as the 55-lap even progressed.

A caution on lap 36 allowed the two NASCAR stars to trade jabs as Larson was able to get around Bell and not look back. A restart with 10 to go saw Larson fend off Bell who desperately tried to catch Larson for his 4th win in a row.

2020 was Kyle Larson’s year however and there didn’t appear to be an upset fan in the house as the entire event center roared for Larson as he crossed the line. Yung Money responded by giving them a high revving celebration and an enthusiastic exit from his car. A car he owns.

Bigger Than Daytona

“I’m sorry NASCAR, I’m sorry Daytona, but this is the biggest effing race I’ve ever won — I hope to win Daytona in a few weeks, but this is badass!”

Kyle Larson fueled the dirt racing v. NASCAR debate last season when he said winning the Chili Bowl would mean more to him than the Daytona 500. A perfectly reasonable thing to say for a guy who grew up racing dirt. He explained in his post-race interview what he meant by it.

For Larson he’s grown up on dirt, winning the Chili Bowl, winning Knoxville, those are the big races for him. Sure a Daytona 500 win would mean a lot to him but it’s not always about the scale of the event that makes it more important than another win.

Kyle Larson looks like a completely new driver from basically the Fall Dover race until now. 2020 could be a huge year for Larson.

The post Kyle Larson FINALLY Wins The Chili Bowl! appeared first on Apex Off.

We laid out a number of ways to watch the Chili Bowl and all required some sort of monetary commitment. That means paying money in case some of you mouth breathers were confused by it.

Just like last year, there is a loophole in the system. With the Chili Bowl only being shown on MAVTV it limits the number of people that can watch the race. If you have cable you can add MAVTV through your cable provider but that’s a hassle. In a perfect world, MAVTV would have a streaming option you could pay $5 a month for. The next best thing is a streaming service option, the only service that offers MAVTV in their package is FuboTV.

FuboTV

If you sign up for a free trial of FuboTV and select the “adventure” package add on that includes MavTV for an extra $4.99 a month you will not be charged until the 7-day trial period is up. Meaning you can watch FOR FREE.

via GIPHY

No more sketchy streams, getting burned by RacinBoysTV or wishing you had MavTV on your cable subscription.

So how to watch chili bowl 2021? just click here to sign up for an account.

You pay nothing and you can watch the Chili Bowl tonight. I personally did it this morning and no charge was put on my card and I spent the afternoon watching Chili Bowl and the Tulsa Shootout.

And remember to cancel your plan before the 7 days are up or you’ll be charged $50 each month until you do so. Or keep it and watch some obscure motorsports like tractor pulling, mud bogging or AMA flat track racing from Peoria where a jump is involved. Basically, it’s like ESPN2 circa 1999.

The post So You Want To Watch The Chili Bowl? Here’s How To Do It For FREE appeared first on Apex Off.